Main Entry:

¹shed

Pronunciation:

\ˈshed\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

shed; shed·ding

Etymology:

Middle English, to divide, separate, from Old English scēadan; akin to Old High German skeidan to separate, Latin scindere to split, cleave, Greek schizein to split

Date:

before 12th century

transitive verb1chiefly dialect : to set apart : segregate2: to cause to be dispersed without penetrating <duck's plumage sheds water>3 a: to cause (blood) to flow by cutting or wounding b: to pour forth in drops <shed tears> c: to give off or out <sheds some light on the subject>4: to give off, discharge, or expel from the body of a plant or animal: as a: to eject, slough off, or lose as part of the normal processes of life <a caterpillar shedding its skin> <a cat shedding hair> <a deciduous tree sheds its leaves in the fall> b: to discharge usually gradually especially as part of a pathological process <shed a virus in the feces> 5: to rid oneself of temporarily or permanently as superfluous or unwanted <shed her inhibitions> <the company shed 100 jobs>intransitive verb1: to pour out : spill2: to become dispersed : scatter3: to cast off some natural covering (as fur or skin) <the cat is shedding>

synonyms see discard

— shed blood

: to cause death by violence